Arts & Activities articles from November 2008

Arts & Activities archives from November 2008

Editor's note.(Editorial)
November 1, 2008... Since the dawn of humankind, a favored medium for expression has been printmaking. From the handprints of the ancient Pueblo people, to the ubiquitous silkscreen T-shirts worn by today's kids, printmaking seems to be an instinctual process...

Louvre Up Close.(Brief article)(Children's review)(Book review)
November 1, 2008... LOUVRE UP CLOSE (2007; $22.95), by Claire d'Harcourt. Chronicle Books. This is a book that draws upon one of the world's most celebrated art collections, the Louvre Museum in Paris. It is designed for children ages five and up. The book...

Renoir and The Boy With The Long Hair: A Story About Pierre-Auguste Renoir.(Brief article)(Children's review)(Book review)
November 1, 2008... RENOIR AND THE BOY WITH THE LONG HAIR: A Story About Pierre-Auguste Renoir (2007; $14.99), by Wendy Wax. Barron's Educational Series, Inc. This is one of a series of books for children about famous artists and the young people who knew...

Jaguars, Mermaids, and More: The Masks of Mexico.(Brief article)(Children's review)(Video recording review)
November 1, 2008... JAGUARS, MERMAIDS, AND MORE: The Masks of Mexico. DVD/25 min./ $39.95. Level: Grade 5 through Adult. Crizmac Art and Cultural Ed. Materials. Masks are an integral part of many cultures throughout the world. Nowhere is that more obvious...

Crayola.(shop talk)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Crayola[R] Dry-Erase Activity Center has a clear writing and drawing surface that allows children to practice their drawing and writing skills over and over again. Blank or preprinted template cards are provided...

Crystal productions.(shop talk)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Digital Media Art, new from Crystal's Take 5 Art Print series, features five 18" x 24" reproductions of digital art by Brian Evans, Richard Herron, Robert Krawczyk, Jim McNeill and Junpei Sekino. On the back of each...

Sakura of America.(shop talk)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sakura's new Sumo Grip[R] II retractable pen contains black, pigment-based gel ink that is chemical resistant, water-proof and quick drying. The gel ink is delivered in a precision tip; a 0.5mm ball leaves a 0.3mm...

Trafford publishing.(shop talk)(From Dirt To Showers: How Seeds Become Flowers)(Brief article)(Children's review)(Book review)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Art teachers Kristin Morine and Sharon Campbell designed and wrote From Dirt To Showers How Seeds Become Flowers to support K-2 science curriculum. Students learn with Vermy the Wormy (who appears on page 6, above)...

Jacquard products.(shop talk)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Jacquard's iron-on Transfer Paper allows images and designs to be made from drawings, photos and scanned images. Run through an inkjet copier or printer, or draw directly onto the Transfer Paper with crayon, markers...

Artbin.(shop talk)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Twin Top Series of Lift-Out Tray Boxes from ArtBin offer a substantial bulk area beneath the lift-out tray for larger supplies, while the lift-out tray provides a convenient second layer for smaller supplies,...

Young artist.(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Recalling my earlier years, as fuzzy as they may be, I can always remember having some sort of crayon, marker or pencil in my hand--or at least at arm's length. It all started with finger painting, indirect doodles and, of course, coloring...

Printmaking a unit.(Cover story)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Relief printmaking is an awesome unit of study with my middle-school students. I try to make the unit fun with techniques the students can use at home when designing personal items. I begin the unit by simply looking...

Presidential portraits: in pastel and print.(INTEGRATING the curriculum)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A good portrait of a person is a good likeness of that person, but it should be so much more. The portrait can show personality and character describing what the person is like. My students studied a few...

Off track.(art ACROSS the CURRICULUM)
November 1, 2008... It's hard to imagine a domestic animal more stately than a greyhound. These dogs are polite, calm and gentle. Their elongated legs, narrow bodies, fine fur and thin skin all contribute to their elegant contours. Greyhound posture, whether...

Clip & save art notes.
November 1, 2008... ABOUT THIS ARTIST Although the Italian painter Giorgio de Chirico (1888-1978) lived to be 90 years old, he is known for paintings that he completed in a period of just 10 years. Sometimes referred to as the father of Surrealism, de...

Classroom use of the art print.
November 1, 2008... Giorgio de Chirico (Italian; 1888-1978). The Nostalgia of the Infinite, 1913-14?; dated on painting 1911. Oil on canvas; 53.25" x 25.5". The Museum of Modern Art, New York. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THINGS TO KNOW Giorgio de Chirico...

Zebra scratchboards.
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] What would be a good subject for a scratchboard project? Maybe something black and white? Of course--a zebra! And this is how I came up with this activity for my eighth-graders. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Architectural impressions.(ARCHITECTURE in the ART ROOM)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] In my art program, I try to do a printmaking project at every grade level. The processes start out simple in the lower grades, but then increase in skill level and difficulty as students get older. At the...

Fish prints swimming in a glittery sea.
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Fish prints swimming in a mixed-media sea of tempera paint, glitter paint, 3-D glues and shimmering jewels... many exciting steps for my second- and third-grade art students! We began with a reading of Mister...

African masks--from scratch!
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] There are so many kinds of ready-made scratchboards on the market, why would a student make their own? There are several reasons. The first can be cost, especially when teaching large groups of students on a low...

Achoo! Printed patterns for tissue boxes.(on the ART CAREER TRACK)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] To teach the design element of pattern, teachers of all age groups often do a project that involves the use of repetitive stamping. The vehicle is most often a vinyl eraser or even a potato into which a design has...

Illustrating nursery rhymes.
November 1, 2008... Printmaking has been around for a long time. The Chinese were some of the first people to make prints. In 1438, when the printing press was invented, block prints were used to make book illustrations. Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) was a German...

A shot in the dark.(PHOTOGRAPHIC expression)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] After a wonderful field trip to New York City and a visit to the Whitney Museum of American Art, my photo students were still talking about Kenneth Josephson's ghostly images in Street Corner, Chicago, April 1960 and...

Printmaking: tried & true tips for art teachers.
November 1, 2008... Making prints in a multitude of techniques is such a delight to teach and the results are unique, varied and distinctive! This is another one of my favorite areas to teach because who wouldn't be excited about the idea of creating multiple...